


Flying and Falling

by ScreamQueenBee (screamqueenbee)



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bird Bonding, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-19
Updated: 2012-06-19
Packaged: 2017-11-08 02:25:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/438110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamqueenbee/pseuds/ScreamQueenBee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p> The Robins, former and current, bond like only Robins can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flying and Falling

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-Crisis, Pre-A Death in the Family

Jason knew that the ride down was going to be the easiest part of the whole experience, but he held onto Dick more tightly than he normally would have. They sped down the freeway on Dick’s motorbike, out of the city and into the larger outdoor spaces. The wind and the freedom of it reminded Jason of flying, so much so that he wanted to let go of Dick’s jacket and spread out his arms like wings to feel the air speed through his fingers like it once had. Back when he flew with his parents. Back when he didn’t know who Killer Croc was and Gotham was just another town on the tour map.

The place they were going to was called The Big Top, a big warehouse where circuses travelling in the Gotham area could practice. Dick parked next to the huge building with metal siding and a vast area of land surrounding it. Walking tracks for horses, raised rings for lion-tamers, and giant platforms for other performing animals sat like islands in a sea of neatly trimmed grass and hard-packed earth. He must have been staring because Dick’s hand caught his wrist gently and tugged a little.

“Hey, the best part’s inside, Jay.” Dick sounded impossibly happy, like he always did. Jason couldn’t believe how different they were for having such a similar history. He’d known of Dick when they both were just kids in the circus. Hell, their families had even toured together, though it had been briefly.

But Dick was just so damned well adjusted, and Jason was clearly not. He took such pride in his history, living every moment for his murdered family. Flying Grayson posters and banners were lovingly displayed in Dick’s rooms and he practiced the trapeze whenever he could. 

Jason, on the other hand, ran from his past. He practiced only the skills he needed to be Robin and still woke up in cold sweats with memories of snapping guy wires and faulty safety nets. The only thing he had from his old life was a ratty t-shirt from the tour that simply said “The Flying Todds.” He couldn’t even remember what his parents  _really_  looked like anymore, aside from an art deco style poster that Bruce had framed for one of his birthdays. And as much as he hated himself for it, Jason was always scared that his line would break and Bruce wouldn’t be able to catch him.

In their new lives, Dick flew and Jason fell.

“C’mon Jay!” There was that infectious, million watt Grayson smile shining down on him as he dragged Jason towards a side entrance. It was the smile that had gotten him to agree to the trip in the first place. No wonder Dick was never wanting for anything he desired. One smile from him and everything felt so much brighter. A little of Jason’s anxiety about getting back in the air drained away. He hitched the practice bag higher up on his shoulder and allowed himself to be led in through a side entrance.

The building looked like the typical gymnastics gym on the inside; with the spring floor and uneven bars, pummel horses, trampolines, and balance beams. Jason could see a German Swing and aerial silks beyond the tramps. But above was what Dick had been so excited about, trapezes and high wires and zip lines. Just seeing it made his pulse race while Dick could barely keep himself still.

“Let’s go change, yeah?”

~

Dick started off on the floor like he always did, doing a few acrobatic moves with perfect form and timing while Jason sat cross-legged on the red line that marked the performance area. His older brother soared through the air as he executed Olympic-level combinations that most people couldn’t even dream of, laughing the whole time like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

No matter what he wore or said, Dick Grayson would always be  _the_  Robin. You could take the kid out of the costume, but you could never take the costume out of the kid. Jason knew he was ill-suited, but damn it, he tried to be as good as Dick had been.

“Are you gonna sit there like a bump on a pickle the entire time, Jay?” Dick asked a little breathlessly when he’d stopped flipping and cartwheeling around the blue carpet, his hair was beginning to stick to his face and neck. He’d told Dick that he was actually going to  _try_  and have fun today and Dick wasn’t going to let him stand on the sidelines.

_Well, it’s time to fly or fall, Jay._

Jason took off his socks and stood for a moment, letting his body slip into Robin mode.

_Fluid. Graceful. Free._ He repeating inside his head. Then he started to run.

Like Dick, he started out with a round-off-back-tuck, a simple move that any Little League cheerleader could do. Jason planted a foot, then his hands. He pushed himself off the ground, feeling his fingers bend back slightly, and tucked his legs close to his body. He bobbled the landing a little, his heel slipped on the carpet and lost him his balance for a second.

His brother had taken his place on the floor and was practically beaming enough to power Supes for a month. It had been a long time since he’d done gymnastics for pleasure, but Jason could feel a surge of the old freedom he felt when he’d been in the circus. A small smile broken the concentrated line of his mouth and Dick started to laugh.

“You still got it, Little Wing. Although your landing could use a little work.”

Jason smirked and did a nearly perfect series of backflips that finished with the satisfying sound of his weight hitting the spring floor. “Can we try the swing?” He yelled from the opposite end of the floor.

“Hell yes! I’m trying to get one to fit in my apartment, actually.” Dick ran off the the fixed arm swing, missing the wide smile that played across his little brother’s face.

Jason may not have been ready to fly like he had in the circus, but it didn’t feel like he was falling anymore.

 


End file.
